DAVID STILL II PHOTO

STAND UP GUY -- Barnstable Police Chief Paul MacDonald fielded questions about a rash of break-ins in Osterville at the Jan. 5 meeting of the Osterville Village Association.

Chief accepts criticism, offers apology

About 60 residents listened intently as Barnstable Police Chief Paul MacDonald explained how the 20 or so breaking and enterings throughout the fall came to an end last month. They also heard the chief offer an apology to the village.

At the Jan. 5 meeting of the Osterville Village association, MacDonald took responsibility for how the department handled the investigation, which ended with three arrests and all break-ins accounted for.

On Monday, Dec. 22, police arrested John Winnell, 39, of Yarmouth and Dana Durfee, 33, of Hyannis. They had coins and jewelry reported stolen from a Cotuit home in their possession. That same night in a separate incident, the department arrested Michael Lee, 25, of Osterville near an attempted break-in in that village.

The department was unaware that there were two sets of individuals doing essentially the same crimes -- stealing cash, jewelry and other items from empty homes -- in different parts of town, which actually allowed Lee to escape notice.

MacDonald said that the person believed responsible for the Osterville breaks was arrested in November, but the department’s focus was on the other individuals.

“We locked him up and let our guard down, and I apologize for that,” he said.

He said the department “wasn’t even thinking about Mr. Lee” for the Osterville breaks, as its focus was drawn to the other individuals.

“I would like to say it’s great police work, but it wasn’t,” MacDonald said of the Lee arrest. It was a call from a neighbor about a suspicious individual that broke the Osterville cases.

MacDonald also apologized for criticism that the department did not communicate about the rash of breaks in the village.

“I understand that you’re not happy about that,” MacDonald said, but he said informing the community also means informing the ones doing the crimes.

“If we thought anyone was going to be put in harm’s way, we would have gone public,” MacDonald Said. The burglaries were of unoccupied homes, either summer homes or when the owner was away. MacDonald said that it was apparent that the individuals weren’t looking to run into anyone.

The 60 attending the meeting accepted the plain talking chief’s apologies and explanation, offering a round of applause at the end of the meeting.

MacDonald said that in all of the recent breaks, drugs and alcohol were factors.

“I would hardly call these guys professional,” MacDonald said.

In Lee’s case, the chief said that he moved into the village in September, which is when the break-ins started. In addition, his were crimes of opportunity, all within one-quarter to one half of a mile from where he was living because he had no vehicle. The BMW that wound up in East Bay in September also Lee’s handiwork, taken from a home that was burglarized, MacDonald said.

“He drove it out drunk and drove it into East Bay,” the chief said.

MacDonald told the filled meeting room at the Osterville Free Library that all of the recent home breaks in Osterville have been accounted for with the arrests of those three individuals. Still outstanding is the recent theft of the evening deposits from an employee of Fancy’s market just after closing. MacDonald said that was unrelated, but the department is working to make an arrest.

He explained that the nature of the crime suggests the individual had inside information. The person targeted was one of three employees leaving the market who also happened to be carrying a concealed bank deposit bag.

“It certainly wasn’t a random event,” MacDonald said, adding that he’d hoped to be able to announce an arrest that evening, but couldn’t.

All three men were arraigned in Barnstable First District Court on charges including breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and possession of a burglary tool. All pleaded not guilty with pretrial hearings scheduled for next week.

MacDonald and officer Mark Delaney emphasized the importance of calling the police department about anything they consider suspicious.

He acknowledged that Osterville has had its share of problems, but all in all it’s a pretty good place to live.

“Osterville is an extremely beautiful village and an extremely safe village,” MacDonald said.